Experimental Investigation of Robotic virtual agent's errors that are accepted by reaction and body color selection

One way to improve the relationship between humans and anthropomorphic agents is to have humans empathize with the agents. In this study, we focused on a task between an agent and a human in which the agent makes a mistake. To investigate significant factors for designing a robotic agent that can promote humans empathy, we experimentally examined the hypothesis that agent reaction and color affect human empathy and acceptance of the agent's mistakes. The experiment consisted of a four-condition, three-factor mixed design with agent reaction, agent's body color selection as factors, and pre- and post-task. The results showed that agent reaction and color selection did not affect empathy toward the agent but did allow the agent to make mistakes. It was also shown that empathy for the agent decreased when the agent made a mistake on the task. The results of this study provide a way to control impressions of the robotic virtual agent's behaviors, which are increasingly used in society.